The Girl Next Door
by AmixMizuno
Summary: Usagi and her family move into a new home right next door to Mamoru. Usagi is 17 and an aspiring medical student. Mamoru is 21, doing his residency at Juuban Medical. Their connection is immediate, a friendship is created, and desire for the other is on both their minds.
1. A New Friendship

It was an ordinary afternoon. Chiba Mamoru had just gotten home from his residency from Juuban Medical Hospital and was ready for his next two days off. He had a few books laid out to read about the human anatomy and was brewing a pot of coffee to ready himself for a relaxing evening. _Thank the gods I've got the next two days to relax. That surgery in the OR was grueling._

Mamoru looked around the three bedroom house that he inherited from his parents and sighed. _At least I've got no noise to distract me. I'm almost unhappy about it. It wouldn't hurt to have Motoki over sometime and enjoy a social life…_

He looked back down at the books he had to read to become better at his job. _But who's got time for that when you're working to become a doctor?_

He sat down with his cup of coffee in hand and opened the first book. Brand new and hardcover; the book's spine make that creasing sound that Mamoru loved so much. He savored the moment, took a sip of his coffee, and started his first chapter.

Mamoru was on his fifth cup of coffee when he heard the moving truck. He looked up at his clock, 4:47pm. He'd been reading for three hours and was on his seventh chapter. He decided that it was as good a time as any to make something to eat so he got up and headed towards the kitchen. In between the living room and the kitchen was the porch sliding glass door that gave him a side view of his street. Curiosity overtaking him, he stopped momentarily to peer on his new neighbors.

The moving truck was sizable. _Enough for a family._ Once it stopped backing into the driveway, a blue minivan pulled up in front of the house. A businessman came out of the driver's side, a blue haired woman came out of the passenger's. _Mother and father, it seems._ A young boy with sandy brown hair bolted out of the car on the side closest towards the house and slammed it on someone else in the car. A female voice rang out, slightly muffled from inside the car. "SHINGO! What the hell?! Are you trying to perform an amputation on my leg via car door? It's not very sanitary, ya know. I'd expect more nepotism from you."

Mamoru let out a hearty laugh. _She's funny._

The girl who made the remark was able to get the door open and step out of the car. The minute she did, it was like she had stepped out of Mamoru's dreams. His breath caught, his pupils dilated, his body froze, and all this happened so quickly to Mamoru that his coffee mug had fallen out of his hand.

The shattering sound pulled Mamoru out of the incredulous state and he snapped his attention to the girl who was making her way towards the house; completely ignoring the broken porcelain all over his floor.

The blue haired woman spoke. "What do you think, Usagi?" _Usagi. Gods, she's gorgeous._

She had long blonde hair that was in a messy bun. Strands of it had fallen out and the length of it reached just at her backside. She wore high waisted jean shorts that accentuated her small waist and a light cream tank top that was tucked in. Her muscle tone was exquisite. Even as she walked, Mamoru could see the quadriceps and hamstrings working underneath her skin. _Where did this angel come from?_

"I think it's perfect. The neighborhood seems nice enough. Did you research the colleges?" _Oh good, she's legal. It would be frowned upon for me to generate such feelings for a minor._

Her mother put her arm around her shoulder. "Yes I did, we go to a few orientations tomorrow. For tonight we're just going to get settled in." The mother looked over across the yard and started to yell to someone in the moving truck. "Kenji! Dear! Let the moving men deal with the furniture! KENJI!"

The father was attempting to pull the couch from the burly moving men presumably to prove his masculinity in front of his family. "It's fine, Ikuko! Just helping these men, they needed it."

The moving men did not like that comment. One of them dropped the couch which gave Kenji the brunt of the weight and he collapsed underneath it. Various screams came from his family members and Mamoru saw this as his opportunity to introduce himself.

He bolted out the door and before Kenji's family members could respond, Mamoru was already hurdling over his fence into their yard and lifting the couch off of Kenji.

Mamoru pushed the couch onto its side allowing Kenji to stand up and move out from its way. "Are you alright sir?"

"Yes, thank you. These damn movers just dropped it onto me."

Ikuko stepped in to check on her husband's physical condition. "Now, now, dear. You were provoking them. You agreed that you'd let them do their job. They don't like to be condescended to."

Usagi walked up to the man who had saved her father. "Thank you, so much, sir. I take it you're one of our new neighbors." She put out her hand to shake his. "I'm Tsukino Usagi."

Mamoru smiled. _She's perfection._ "I'm Chiba Mamoru. I live next door. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need any assistance."

 _Mamoru._ Usagi couldn't take her eyes off of the man who had just saved her father. He had jet black hair that fell into his ocean blue eyes when he looked down and his frame was definitely something to admire. He was wearing a button up white long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black slacks. Usagi had expected to meet new people in moving to a new city, but she never thought she'd meet one so soon, nor so attractive.

Ikuko smiled at him and introduced herself, her husband, and her son who had already been inside claiming bedrooms. "If you don't mind, Chiba Mamoru."

"Oh, just Mamoru, please."

"Well, if you don't mind, Mamoru, it seems our moving men are leaving us due to this incident. Do you think you could help us move our belongings inside?"

Mamoru smiled politely. "I'd be happy to."

After two hours, all of the items off of the moving truck had been placed inside. The entire family helped; Ikuko organized which boxes went where inside, Shingo started to unpack the upstairs, and Kenji, Usagi, and Mamoru had moved all of the items inside."

In attempts to speak to the blonde bombshell more, Mamoru commented. "Your father and I could have handled that, Usagi. You didn't have to help."

Usagi smiled at him before she drank some water. "Oh, it's ok. I've had some experience with weights."

Mamoru raised his eyebrows curiously as she drank some more water and headed to the kitchen for a refill. Ikuko continued the conversation. "Yes, Usagi was a powerlifter in high school. Not competitively, but she liked that she could do things for herself. She got really into health and fitness and is now going to pursue a degree in medicine. She wants to help people." Ikuko smiled proudly at her daughter as she walked back into the room.

Mamoru chimed in. "That's actually a remarkable coincidence."

Attempting to be indifferent, Usagi finished a last big gulp. "Oh? Why's that?"

Mamoru smirked. "Well, I'm currently doing my residency at Juuban Medical. I'm about 4 or 5 months away from becoming a permanent doctor there."

Usagi's eyes went wide. "You're serious?"

Mamoru nodded.

"That's amazing, incredible even. Did you grow up here? Can you tell me what college is best? I'd love to pick your brain."

Ikuko started to laugh. "Easy, Usagi. He lives next door." She looked over at Mamoru apologetically. "I'm sorry Mamoru, Usagi is…driven."

Mamoru smiled. "That's actually really nice to see. Not everyone is."

Ecstatic, Usagi put up her finger to Mamoru. "I'll be right back."

Mamoru's face scrunched quizzically. "Oh, uhm, ok."

She came back with her phone. "Ok, I hope this isn't too forward, but I'd like your number. So I can ask you questions and find out what are good times for me to come and pick your brain."

Ikuko was slightly embarrassed. "Usagi!"

Mamoru laughed. "No, no. It's ok." I put my hand out towards Usagi. "Here, I'll put my number in. I'm normally working, but I check it in between patients and answer what I can." After Mamoru finished putting his number in, he handed it back to her.

"I do really have to get going though. I have a few books I need to get through since I have the next two days off."

Usagi got more excited. "What books are they?"

 _She IS driven._ "Oh, uhm. Actually, if you don't mind." He looked to Ikuko. "Usagi is more than welcome to come over to my place tonight and look over some books and materials I have that could help her in her studies."

Usagi's eyes widened and she turned to her mother with a pleading look.

Ikuko smiled. "Mamoru, you've been so generous with us today, I just feel that you'd be sick of us fairly soon, but if you are sincere in inviting Usagi over, I see no issues with it." She turned to Usagi. "If it starts to get late, just text me. I'll know that you're right next door so I won't be worried." She hugged Usagi and led us to the door. "Have fun."

On the short walk to next door, Usagi's and Mamoru's hearts were racing, both due to nerves. Usagi had an almost violent attraction to this man. The minute she saw him aid her father, he just kept getting more and more interesting. She thanked the gods for the excuse of him being a doctor or else she would have had to find another way to slyly give him her number. She really did mean to pick his brain, but she wasn't planning on stopping there.

Mamoru had been silently chastising himself as they walked up to his door. _You idiot. Do you really think that you can presumptuously invite a girl over this quickly? You're going to ruin something that can be incredible by forcing its hand._ He looked over to her. _And it really could be incredible._

After a minute or so of silence, Usagi decided to speak up. "I'm sorry if I'm being overbearing. Now that I think about it, I kind of forced you to invite me over."

Mamoru opened the door to his home and turned on the lights. Slightly relieved that he hadn't appeared too bold by inviting her over, he continued the conversation in a friendly manner.

"Not at all. I understand about being excited about your career."

They walked into the living room and he gestured to the books that he had been reading earlier that afternoon. She sat down and picked up the one on top. When she opened it, it remade that creasing noise that it had first made with Mamoru.

Usagi took a sigh and looked over at Mamoru. "I just love that noise."

Mamoru smirked and couldn't help but stare at her. He'd immediately found her amusing when he was watching them from his door, but he was surprised at how she became more and more stimulating as the moments passed. _I never knew this woman existed but in my dreams._

His thoughts were cut off by Usagi's voice. "Mamoru?"

"Hmm?"

Usagi had been standing in between the living room and the kitchen. "Were you aware that you had a broken mug on the floor?"

 _Shit._ "Oh, uh, yeah, I was drinking coffee when I heard the screams and saw the condition your father was in. I didn't take the time to clean it up since I knew he needed help." _Quick and graceful lie. Nice going, Chiba._

"Well, since it was us that caused your inconvenience, let me at least help you clean it up." Usagi bent over and started to pick up the porcelain pieces. "Where's your trash can?"

"Oh, please, you don't have to." But Usagi was already walking towards the kitchen with the broken pieces in hand. "It's, uh, underneath the sink, left cabinet. Really, you don't have to do that. It was my clumsiness."

Usagi flashed him a smile from his kitchen that made his knees go weak. "It's no problem, Chiba," she said playfully. She picked up a wet rag from the sink. "Mind if I use this to clean it up?"

Unable to think clearly with that goddess in his kitchen, he simply shook his head.

Usagi walked over to the mess on the floor, got down on her hands and knees, and used the wet washrag to start scrubbing the coffee stain out of the tile.

Mamoru was about to lose his mind. This unreal woman was now on her hands and knees. Ass in the air, scrubbing. The movement of the body parts Mamoru couldn't ignore nearly drove him insane. He clamped his eyes shut and put his fingers on the bridge of his nose to try to block out the image. He had to walk away. "I'll be right back. I'll, uh, grab some more books that you'd like from my library upstairs."

He heard her movements pause. He slowly turned around, praying to the gods that she wasn't in a compromising position again. She was sitting on the floor with the rag in hand staring at him. Bewildered.

"Library? You have a library?" _This guy is the man of my dreams._

Mamoru couldn't help but smile at the wonder in her expression.

"Yes. Would you like to see it?"

She wiped over the floor once more to assure that there was no more mess, rinsed the rag off in the kitchen sink, wrung it out, washed her hands, and started to walk towards him. "Is that even a question?"

The two walked upstairs and down the hall, past Mamoru's bedroom, to the room at the far end of his home. He opened the door. "Voila." Usagi let out a gasp.

The room was wall to wall bookshelves filled with hard cover books. The far corner had a love seat with a reading lamp above it and a small side table that had a coaster on it. She walked in and grazed her fingertips along the spines of the books in awe. After she walked halfway through, she turned to Mamoru. "I'm in love. Could I just live in here?" She chuckled. "Forever?"

Mamoru let out a chuckle as well. "You're welcome to borrow whatever book you like. Now that I know you, I'm confident that you wouldn't harm them in any way."

"Oh, are you kidding? I wouldn't dream of it!"

She kept perusing the texts and novels; becoming more and more captivated as the collection went on. She picked up a text on human anatomy and physiology, walked over to the loveseat, and opened up the book carefully like it were her own. After a few moments, Mamoru made the decision to put on some tea and left for the kitchen.

After about 20 minutes, he came back into the room and Usagi was already a few chapters in. He watched her as she read, fairly quickly he might add, and set the tea down on the coaster. "Speed reading?"

She stopped and looked up at him. "Hmmm? Oh, yes. I've been reading almost nonstop since I was 5. It's such a habit of mine that I'm able to read rather quickly." She looked over at the tea. "Oh, thank you so much. I'm sorry, I tend to get lost in the text. This is an incredible book." She looked down to mentally note the page and gently closed it.

Mamoru took a sip of his tea. "Oh, you don't have to stop on my account. I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to stay and read it. I'm going to be reading my own downstairs and I wouldn't mind having someone in the house."

Usagi smiled warmly at him as she took a sip of the tea. "Jasmine. I haven't had jasmine tea in so long." She looked around. "I'd love to stay here if you wouldn't mind. I feel like I'm more at home here than next door. Shingo is always making noise, but…" She shrugged. "What do you expect of a 12 year old?"

Mamoru smiled. "Yeah, here is always quiet. Considering your care and interest in these books, you're more than welcome to come over anytime you'd like for some quiet time to read them. Being such a freak about my books, I'd actually prefer if they stayed in their home anyways."

Usagi laughed. "I know exactly how you feel! I once lent a book to a friend in my hometown and she returned it in the most horrific state. I swore never again!"

Mamoru nodded as he drank some more of his tea. "The same has happened to me countless times. It's so inconsiderate. I cannot understand why people would treat them that way."

Usagi beamed up at her new friend. "You and I are much more alike than I ever would have imagined." She took another long sip of her tea while looking at him. "I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Chiba Mamoru." She offered out her mug to touch his.

"Agreed, Miss Tsukino Usagi."

*clink*

 **Author's Note:** Yes, yes. Usagi isn't like the normal Usagi. I'm aware that some of you may not like that, but I did want to write her intellectually in this story and have her and Mamoru connect on a new level. Hope you enjoyed it. More to come soon! Let me know what you thought in the reviews! ~(^_^)~


	2. Nerves

Usagi woke up in her new bedroom with slight confusion. It took a few seconds for her mind to register and remember her new room and new home. As she stretched and rubbed her eyes, she looked around at the various boxes, some full and some partially unpacked. The sunlight was streaming into the room from in between the spaces of the blinds and lit up the cream colored walls. She picked up her phone that had tumbled off the bed sometime during the night to check the time. **7:23am**

Groaning, she swung her legs over onto the floor, stretched once more, and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. As she got ready, she couldn't erase Mamoru from her thoughts. The events and small conversations ran through her mind over and over. She smiled fondly and bit her lip as she remembered the small moments that brought butterflies to her stomach once more. She put on shorts and a tank top and pulled up her hair into a messy but flattering bun. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, shrugged her shoulders, and gave off a satisfied sigh as she made her way downstairs.

Usagi walked into the kitchen to see her mother unpacking a few coffee mugs and cooking a makeshift breakfast of donuts, eggs, and sausage. Her mother met her eyes and smiled. "After breakfast we'll head over to the colleges for those orientations. Don't worry, we won't be late. The first one starts at 9."

Usagi smiled and started to help her mom unpack the rest of the dishes. She could hardly contain her excitement for seeing the colleges and had been thinking about it for so long; since elementary school. It was like she was fulfilling a part of her life that would bring her closer to having a purpose. She had always envisioned touring and picking out a college with her mother and reveling in the process, but currently, she couldn't shake the desire to want to do that with Mamoru. Usagi looked over at her mom. They had been planning this for so long. She almost felt ashamed that she thought of replacing her so quickly with someone that she barely knew. She had such a strong connection with Mamoru that it almost scared her. In retrospect, she knew nothing about him. She shook her head as she placed another plate in the cabinet. _You're being ridiculous, Usagi. Recenter your mind, get your head back in the game, and take the friendship with Chiba slowly like a normal person._

Kenji and Shingo groggily made their way downstairs just as Ikuko and Usagi were finishing up. Ikuko smiled to her husband. "Your plate is in the microwave." She looked to Shingo. "Yours is in the fridge. I thought you'd sleep in longer, but don't worry, I just put it in there, it should still be warm."

Usagi gathered up her small backpack that substituted as her purse, slid on her oversized sunglasses, and almost as an inevitable impulse, looked over at Mamoru's home the minute she stepped outside.

Noticing her daughter's glance, she decided to ask her, "How did it go with Mamoru last night, Usagi?"

Slightly embarrassed that her mother had seen her, she smiled slightly and began to describe the events.

"It seems you two will be getting along fairly well then. I'm glad, especially if he can help you with your career. He seems like a very smart and sweet young man."

As they drove down the neighborhood road, Usagi looked out the passenger window and began to think about last night.

After about two hours of her reading, she had finished the book on human anatomy and physiology and wished that she had brought a notebook or something to take notes. _I'll just review it later on._ She picked up her now empty mug, placed the book back on its rightful place on the shelf, and left the library that she was immediately in love with. She made her way slowly down the hall, noticing how bare and almost perfect his house seemed. She walked towards the stairs, passing his bedroom door, which was cracked. Curiosity getting the best of her, she peered in and could see that the room only contained the essentials; a bed, dresser, mirror, lamp, and alarm clock. No pictures. No decorative or personal touches. The room that had the most character was the library she was just in _. He must be such a private person._ Realizing that he had let her into his home without hesitation and let her read in his library brought a red heat to her cheeks and water to her eyes. She had almost felt like she had invaded his home. _But he let me…why did he let me?_

Determined not to cry in front of him, she steadied herself and her thoughts. _He's busy becoming a doctor, he probably doesn't have time to decorate his house. Of course, he only has the essentials, Usagi. He gets what he needs and keeps living his busy life. Don't be so silly as to read into things that don't exist. Stop this nonsensical crying, straighten up, and head downstairs._

Usagi nodded to herself after her mental pep talk and made her way carefully down the steps.

Mamoru had enjoyed the few hours of silence. He didn't feel that normal emptiness he felt when the house was vacant. Somehow, having her around made him feel better. Because of this, he actually got more work done than he planned. Ecstatic, he continued, seeing if he could progress further and get a head start on his plans for tomorrow.

His ears perked up when he heard faint creaks on the stairs. He looked up to see Usagi's well defined legs walking slowly down the steps. Almost as if she didn't want to disturb him with too much noise. He smiled lightly and decided to break the silence. "Did you enjoy the book?" He didn't doubt that she had finished the entire thing judging by her reading pace.

Slightly startled, Usagi responded back as she quickened her pace down the stairs. "I did. I may review it later. I didn't bring a notebook." She turned to fully face him and smiled. He had notes and books laying all around him; on both the coffee table and the couch he sat on. His hair was disheveled and he had a teapot next to his half-filled mug. She had never seen a more adorable and attractive setting in all her life.

Following her gaze, Mamoru looked around him and attempted to explain. "It looks like a sheer mess, but in my head, it's organized. I get like this when I'm on a roll." In attempts to finalize his explanation, he finished his sentence with a smile and shrug.

Usagi stood frozen, only eyes moving and absorbing his studying process. It was just like hers. Whenever she was cramming or close to a breakthrough on understanding a concept, various books would be opened around her followed by notes and pages that were scattered that only made sense to her. It was remarked numerously by Shingo that she acted like a crazy person whenever she studied and always felt like no one would ever understand her behavior. Until now.

Mamoru had felt ridiculous that he had just explained his study habits to Usagi. And to make matters worse, she just stood there, staring at him. He couldn't interpret her gaze. _Was it understanding? Puzzlement?_ He opened his mouth to try to change the subject, but she beat him to it.

"It's, uhh, getting late…I should head home. Mom and I have a few colleges to go take a look at in the morning." Mamoru's stomach dropped at her wanting to leave right after he had decided to make himself look like a fool, but accepted the reality of how late it was.

Unable to stop from staring at his frame, eyes, and smile, Usagi had to shake her head to physically reprimand herself for openly gawking. Embarrassment overtook her and she desperately tried to hide the fact that she was just blatantly checking him out by attempting to leave. She started to walk backwards towards the door. "Thank you, really. For letting me into your home. And letting me see your library. I- uhh." She bumped into a side table. She steadied the lamp that almost fell and looked back up at him while still walking towards the door. "I'll see you around?"

Mamoru took the book that was on his lap and placed it on the coffee table. He had wanted to escort her back to her home. _Why is she acting so nervous? Did I keep her out too late? Is she in trouble with her mom or something?_

Walking towards her, he spoke. "Are you ok?"

Realizing that she most likely was babbling like an idiot, she attempted to smile reassuringly. "Yeah, I just don't want to overstay my welcome."

Mamoru shook his head slowly. "That will never happen." He coolly walked over towards Usagi and opened his front door for her. Usagi tensed up when he walked past her and the smell of his cologne washed over her. He looked at her. Meaningfully, it seemed to her. But what meaning? She had no idea. Whatever it was, it made her heart beat faster and slower at the same time.

"Do you want me to walk you back home?"

She couldn't help but notice how the lights in the room reflected in his eyes and showed various shades of blue. Mesmerized, it took her a few seconds longer than it should to respond. "I-uhh."

Before she could even utter a coherent response, he stepped out the door with her and closed it behind him. "I'll just take that has a yes." He said lightheartedly.

His relaxed and playful demeanor helped Usagi ease back into a friendly state. Before she knew it, she was talking casually with him. "So you really don't mind if I bother you with random texts?"

Mamoru's hands were in his pockets as they walked side by side. He shook his head and looked down. "It's really no problem. It'd be nice to talk to someone that's so interested in the subject, to be honest. So with that, I welcome it."

The excitement of the situation almost overwhelmed Usagi. Her heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest and the butterflies in her stomach frenzied. She couldn't stop smiling.

Mamoru was baffled by her smile and how quickly her state had changed from before. She was so awkward not even 5 minutes ago and now she was as talkative and cheery as she was when they first met. _She's definitely going to be a task to figure out…her smile alone, though, is worth the challenge._

They got to her front door and Usagi slid in the key and turned it to unlock the door. Leaning into the door, Usagi looked over and smiled at her new friend. "You wanna have coffee tomorrow?"

 _Is she asking me out?_ Taken slightly aback, Mamoru raised his eyebrows and agreed.

Hardly believing it to be possible, Mamoru saw Usagi's smile widen even more which made his knees go weak for the second time that evening. "Great! I'll text you when I get back from the orientations. I'm finally going to pick that brain of yours." And with that, she winked, opened the door, said a quick "Night!" and closed it.

Mamoru walked back slowly playing over the events of the evening. _Was having coffee tomorrow with her a date? Or is she just following through with the goal of learning more about college and the medical field?_ He was conflicted. There were times when Usagi appeared to be nervous around him or gawking at him like she was checking him out and in those small moments, he felt hope that she may feel something like he did. But then, she'd switch over to her confident and bubbly self, giving him signals that they were going to be great friends and that he'll help her with her future career.

He made his way up his stairs, flopped onto his bed on his back, and sighed. _I'd take either scenario happily. I just want her in my life._ He took his shoes off, turned out the light, and ended his day with one thought before drifting off to sleep. _Usagi._

 **Author's Note:** Sorry it took so long for an update! Life's a little crazy since I added teaching yoga classes to my schedule! I'll try to keep the updates as frequent as possible! Don't forget to leave a review and tell me what you think so far! ~^_^~


	3. Coffee Date?

The orientation at the first college took longer than expected. Three hours. She brought out her phone to text Mamoru as her mom drove to the next college. _Going to the second orientation, coffee may be later than predicted. Update you later. –U._

Mamoru was sitting in the loveseat that she had sat in just the night before when he received her text. His stomach knotted. He didn't know what to think of having coffee with Usagi. _Would he be capable of just being friends with her?_ He pondered that question all morning.

At 2 in the afternoon, Usagi was finally done with both college orientations. Her mom had dropped her off in the town square and she proceeded to text Mamoru about having that coffee. _At Town Square downtown, coffee shop named Ophelia's, see you in 20?_

Mamoru's pocket buzzed and he eagerly checked his phone. _See you in 20?_ Ordinarily he wouldn't be able to appease such short notice, but since this was the only thing on his agenda for that day, he swiftly grabbed his car keys, slipped on his shoes, and headed out the door.

His nerves were jittery the whole ride there. He ran various conversation topics through his mind and none really panned out well. He had no idea how this was going to go yet he was still looking forward to meeting her. It was a new feeling for Mamoru. Normally he'd turn down anything that felt uncomfortable for him, but this. Usagi. She was worth the risk.

Usagi had already ordered a cappuccino and was sitting by the window so she could see him coming. She had butterflies coursing through her body and she felt like she couldn't sit still. 5 minutes passed by like an hour would and she checked the road nearly one hundred times. The waitress came by with her cappuccino. "First date?"

Usagi got caught off guard. "Hmm?"

The brunette waitress smiled knowingly at the young blonde. "You're showing all the signs. Nerves, uneasiness, shifting in your seat. You want my advice?"

Usagi's brows furrowed. "Uh, ok?"

"Take a deep breath, remind yourself that it isn't as stressful as you're making it out to be, and to just be yourself. He already agreed to meet you here, so you're already in the clear. You're jus- oh my…is that him?" The brunette's eyes lifted to the window and were immediately filled with desire.

Mamoru had pulled up in his red corvette and put his car keys in his front pocket as he walked up to the coffee shop.

Usagi nodded slowly as she took in the same sight that the waitress did. "Mmmm….yep. That's him."

The waitress put her hand on Usagi's shoulder, "Sweetheart, if you nag him…keep him for life. Cause…DAMN!" The waitress walked away as Mamoru walked up and Usagi was giggling from the brunette's comment. Mamoru was immediately at ease from Usagi's demeanor and smiled as well when he saw her muffled laughter. "What's so funny?"

Usagi leaned forward, put her elbows on the table and pointed behind her. "That waitress thinks you're hot."

Mamoru's smile disappeared and he rolled his eyes. Desperate to change the subject, he looked down at Usagi's coffee. "Cappuccino?"

Usagi looked at her drink and nodded. "You want one?" She pushed hers towards him and called the brunette over again. "Can I get another cappuccino and two biscotti, please?"

Mamoru looked at the drink and at Usagi. She did just what a guy would do on a first date and wasn't sure how to feel. Shrugging slightly, he took the cappuccino and drank it while the waitress came back with the blonde's order. He noticed that the brunette couldn't keep her eyes off him and it irritated him slightly. _Sure all women were willing to get to know him because of his looks, but the minute he opened his mouth, he was a bore. He was sick of those women and sick of trying to impress them. He had spent too much time in college trying to understand what it was that women wanted out of a man that he had just decided to call it quits._ He looked over thoughtfully at Usagi. _And wait until my dream girl came along…_

"So what did you think of the two universities that they offer here?"

Usagi perked up at the potential conversation. "I was actually going to ask you the same thing. Where did you go?"

Mamoru took a sip of the coffee and set it down. "Juuban Medical University. You have to get your Bachelor's first though before transferring there. I got my Bachelors at Juuban University."

Usagi's features became thoughtful and she bit her lip. "See that's what I thought of doing, but was afraid it would take too long."

Mamoru shook his head. "Don't worry about it taking too long. You can actually volunteer at the hospital while you're in college and it can go towards your future career."

Usagi's eyes lit up. "Wait, really?"

Mamoru nodded. "That's what I did."

"Well, shit!" Usagi sat back in her seat practically blown away that she didn't have that small piece of information. Mamoru almost spat out his coffee from her exclamation.

They spent the rest of the two hours they spent there talking about books and classes and how each individual got interested in the medical field. Mamoru had lightly touched on his childhood and stated that since no one had helped him, he wanted to help others. Usagi simply stated that her heart always went to those in need. She just couldn't ignore it anymore and just as quickly as she allowed it to enter her life was as quickly as she became obsessed with it.

5pm was starting to roll around and Usagi noted the time on her phone. "We should wrap this up. I shouldn't stay out too late, it'll worry mom."

Mamoru started to get up. "I agree. And I've got an early morning tomorrow. You want a ride back?"

Usagi smiled widely. "I'd love one." Her eyebrows raised. "If you don't mind…"

Mamoru led her out the front door of the coffee house with his hand at her lower back. Usagi happened to look back and saw the waitress from before giving her a wink and a thumbs up. Usagi reddened and continued walking with Mamoru's guided hand. Attempting to regain control of herself, she coolly commented, "A corvette, huh? You over compensating for something, Mamoru?" Mamoru opened the passenger's side door for her and let out a hearty laugh at her comment. He smiled widely and walked around the front of his car. _That's a new reaction…_

He sat in the driver's seat and proceeded to drive them both home.

When Mamoru pulled into his driveway, he looked over at the blonde bombshell in his passenger's seat. He was almost heartbroken at the fact that this day had to end. Usagi looked over at him and he was at a loss of words. She started to unbuckle her seat belt. "Mamoru, we're friends, right?"

Mamoru simply nodded. "I mean…" She moved some of her bangs out from her eyes and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear while turning to face him completely. "You're not just humoring me, right? We do have a _real_ friendship?"

Mamoru turned in the driver's seat to face her completely as well. "Usagi, I can honestly say that you're a friend I've been waiting for for a very long time."

And in hearing that reply, Usagi leaned forward to hug Mamoru meaningfully. Tightly. Mamoru had almost lost his breath from the amount of love he felt in that hug. Usagi pulled her head back, kissed him on the cheek, and whispered, "You're never getting rid of me now." She smiled sweetly and got out of the passenger's side door. "Good night, Mamoru. I'll see _you_ tomorrow!"

Mamoru watched the blonde run up to her house and disappear behind the front door. He sat back in the driver's seat and let out a deep sigh while touching the cheek she kissed. _My God. What did I get myself into?_ His attention was caught when he saw her light come on in her bedroom window and he smiled happily. "You're not getting rid of me either, Usako."

 **Author's Note:** This was just a quick update I wanted to post before the weekend's end. I wasn't able to put as much time into as I wanted but I know you guys were wanting more! Let me know what you thought! ~(^_^)~


	4. Internship

Mamoru was making his rounds just like any other day, except on this day, he couldn't get a certain blonde out of his head. He approached the nurse's station for his next patient's file. The usual nurse, Jackie, would normally prepare his paperwork and hand it to him without a word. This time, she noticed a difference in him. His eyes and the air around him appeared brighter and there seemed to be a smile hiding in his features trying to break out. She smirked. "Have a good two days off, Dr. Chiba?"

Mamoru had been gazing down the hall and the mention of his name brought her to his attention. "Hmm? Oh, yes." He rubbed his temple trying to hide his newfound bliss. "Got a lot of reading done. You have my next patient?"

Jackie looked at him knowingly and handed him the file. "Here you go. Next door down on the right." Mamoru took it and continued in the direction she described. Jackie piped up as he walked away, "Try and get some more of that _reading_ done, Dr. Chiba. It does the body good."

Still a bit distracted, Mamoru neglected to hear Jackie's last statement and continued to his next patient. All the patients that he had that day that were regulars of his commented on the difference in his demeanor.

His lunch hour rolled around and on his walk to the cafeteria, Mamoru pondered on how everyone was able to notice the effect Usagi had on him. _What is it that has changed? Was I that unhappy before? Or just going through life stoically?_ Mamoru shook his head while running his right hand through his jet black hair. _I guess I never knew what I was missing until she came along…_

At the lunch table, Mamoru was chatting with a few colleagues while enjoying his sandwich and coffee when Dr. Demande came by.

"Can you believe this?!" He slammed a paper down in front of Mamoru. "They're looking for interns that don't have the proper schooling."

Mamoru had been drinking from his coffee cup when he peered down at the paper. It was a job listing made by the hospital. They were going to take on interns that have an interest in the medical field, but not necessarily the schooling that they normally require from their interns. He picked it up to read it further and immediately thought of Usagi. _This would be perfect for her._ He was going to encourage her to volunteer for the experience, but this was a paid internship that would also count as college credits.

"Isn't this ridiculous, Chiba?" Demande seemed to be waiting for his colleague to agree with him that it was foolish of the hospital to take on inexperienced people. He stood with his arms crossed and a prideful frown while staring down at him. Normally, Mamoru _would_ agree. A hospital certainly isn't a place for people who don't know what they're doing. People's lives are at risk and he knew that he and his colleagues took their jobs very seriously. His ordinary judgement, however, was clouded by an aspiring medical student who lived next door.

Mamoru took another sip of his coffee and responded how he normally would in attempts to cover the drastic difference in his usual opinion. "I think if it's only minimal tasks that don't have to do directly with patients; it may be a good program. If they're expecting them to do any more than that, it would be reckless."

Dr. Demande yanked the paper from Mamoru and grumbled. "I hope you're right. I'm not letting any piss ant over achiever try and interfere with my career."

Mamoru took a bite from his sandwich and motioned to Demande to hand him the paper again. "I actually think I may know someone who would be interested in this." Mamoru did his best to appear indifferent. "She's my neighbor and is starting college fairly soon. I think the experience would do her good."

Demande's eyebrows raised. "She, eh?" His anger over the internship vanished and interest took over his features. He straddled a chair with the back of it to his chest and playfully hit Mamoru on the shoulder. "Dish, Chiba. She hot?"

Mamoru laughed and shook his head. _There's no way I'm letting him get this one._

Demande was a known womanizer. He, like Mamoru, had very attractive features, but unlike Mamoru, he used them to help him get what he wanted. Even though Demande had seniority over Mamoru, it didn't instantly make Mamoru respect him. He's had to console a few nurses because of Demande's selfish ways. His last conquest was one of the nurse's nieces who had surprised her aunt with lunch for her birthday. Demande happened to walk by and succeeded in persuading her to go out to lunch with him. Not even 12 hours later, the nurse was chasing Demande with a clipboard and telling him never to come near her family again.

Mamoru wiped his mouth with his napkin while standing with his tray. "Are you always thinking with your pecker?"

Demande smiled widely and shook his head. "You didn't answer my question."

Mamoru set his tray in the proper place and turned to walk back to his wing. "Good afternoon, Dr. Demande."

Demande chuckled. "Good afternoon, Dr. Chiba." He watched Mamoru walk away while stroking his chin. A mischievousness gleam filled his eyes that normally led to torrid one night stands ending in heartbreak for those who fell victim to his advances. He picked up the paper with the job listing on it and pondered. _Maybe this internship thing isn't such a bad idea after all…_

 **Author's Note:** Sorry it's such a short chapter! I'll try to post more this week, if not, then this upcoming weekend! :D


	5. Trouble Brewing

For the rest of the work day, the internship was all that filled Mamoru's mind. Once he got off, he went down to human resources to inquire further about the type of person they were looking to fill the roles. The woman who ran the human resources office, Carol, told him all that he needed to know. He started to tell her about Usagi and her interest in the medical field. Carol gave him all the forms that Usagi would need to fill out and set up an interview time for the next day at 3pm. She believed that Usagi sounded like a perfect candidate and would benefit greatly from what the hospital was willing to offer. Mamoru shook her hand and thanked her, ecstatic that he was able to help Usagi in such a large way.

As he walked towards his car in the parking lot, he sent Usagi a text.

 _Big news. Meet me in my driveway in 20 mins._

Usagi had been grueling over college applications. She couldn't decide which one to choose, although she leaned more towards Juuban University just because it was where Mamoru went. _Mamoru…_

Her thoughts seemed to lead to him more and more since they met. She couldn't believe a guy like that was willing to talk to her; so successful, handsome, and delightfully nerdy. Each time she talked to him and learned more about him, she was pleasantly surprised and intrigued. She felt slightly ridiculous, though, falling for someone so quickly especially since every other girl that came across Mamoru started to drool. This type of attention he received was almost irritating. Her affections for him, however, weren't superficial. Yes, he's devastatingly gorgeous, but his demeanor and habits were what were so attractive to her. She loved talking to him, reading books that he's read and then discussing them. She was even mentally trying to figure out how to get him in the gym. She always smiled to herself thinking about getting Mamoru to see how much she could squat. She lifted a pen up to her smiling lips; or even deadlift…

Her phone emitted a notification pulling her out of her thoughts. She picked it up and saw Mamoru's message and smiled broadly. She then looked up at herself in her mirror and grimaced. She was still in lounge clothes; green and white pin striped pajama pants and a baggy gray/blue shirt. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her reading glasses took over half of her face. She took off the glasses and wiped her eyes. She dragged her fingertips down to her cheeks and stared critically into the mirror. _Do I have time to fix this?_

Usagi looked over at the clock. _I have 17 minutes. Let's see if I can._

Mamoru turned into his driveway and immediately felt a tug at his heart. There she was, waiting for him. She had on a pale pink v neck with light jean capris. Her hair was loose and wavy; messy, like she had just taken it down.

He took a deep breath. For a moment he wondered if it was smart to bring Usagi into his work environment. Was it mixing business with pleasure? Or bringing a breath of fresh air into his ordinary and boring life?

He gripped the steering wheel. _Should I tell her how I feel? Or should I just keep this friendship?_

He made eye contact with her and she waved. His stomach fluttered. _I'm going to tell her._

He put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Hearing the doors unlock, Usagi opened the passenger door and slid in. "Hey!" She leaned in to hug him and kiss him on the cheek. Mamoru felt his breath catch when her aroma washed over him and felt her embrace.

He felt an emptiness overwhelm him as she sat back into the passenger seat. She looked at him expectingly. "So what's the 'big news'?"

Mamoru ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, right." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the paper with the internship information. He handed it to her and allowed her to read a few lines. "You have an interview tomorrow at 3."

Her eyes widened and her eyebrows rose. "Wait, are you serious?"

Her shocked expression brought a smirk to his lips. He always enjoyed her animated facial expressions. They made their conversations quite entertaining.

Mamoru nodded. "I was going to get you to volunteer for experience, but this is a paid position and will go towards your college credits. It's a perfect opportunity for you."

Usagi's eyes shot up to him and she started to squeal. "OH MY GOD! This is incredible! Mamoru! Thank you!" She went in for another hug which he graciously accepted.

"You didn't think I was going to give up on your aspirations, did you?"

She sat back in the seat again and started to bounce lightly. "Mamoru this will be great! I could go to class and then come to the hospital and work!" She playfully pinched him. "We're going to be working together!" Her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped. "Is there a way I could attach shadow you? Like follow you specifically at the hospital? I'd love to see how you interact with your patients."

Mamoru put his hands on Usagi's shoulders. "Usa. Breathe." And he started simulating deep breaths until Usagi started copying him to calm down.

He continued. "Let's just take this a day at a time ok? I'm not an official doctor as of yet. I still have another month until I become permanent. And the internship is more to get you to understand how things work inside the hospital. Maybe further down the line, you'll be able to do more tasks. Ok?"

Usagi smiled brightly and nodded.

Mamoru smirked. "There was one more thing I wanted to discuss."

Usagi looked at him with her full attention. "What's up?"

He took in a shaky breath. "It's uh- a little hard to say...but *ahem* I feel like it needs to be said. Especially before the start of the internship."

A smile slowly formed on Usagi's lips. "Mamoru...I know what you're going to say."

"Y-you do?"

"Yes! And you don't have to worry. I get it."

"Oh." Mamoru exhaled quickly and let out a small chuckle. "Ok. What is it exactly that you get?"

"That I'm young and you're afraid I'll embarass you at the hospital. I promise. I won't. I'll be just as professional as you'd expect me to be."

Mamoru's stomach dropped. "Oh. Yeah. Well I'm glad we got that sorted out." Usagi nodded understandingly. "Ok. Now go tell your folks! Your interview is tomorrow at 3."

Usagi let out an excited squeal once more and hugged Mamoru tightly before exiting the vehicle and rushing up to her door like a bat out of hell.

Mamoru watched the door slam and heard her muffled voice excitedly describing what happened. He then heard two other voices join in, he assumed, to congratulate her.

Mamoru sat back in the driver's seat and sighed while catching his reflection in the rearview mirror.

"Oh, Chiba. What are you getting yourself into?"

The next day went by ordinarily as if it was any other day. Mamoru had to force Usagi out of his mind early that morning. She was turning out to be more of a distraction than he liked and had mixed up two of his patients information on accident. _Get it together Chiba. You can't start making mistakes like this one month before you become official. This is what you've been working towards for years. Don't muck it up over a girl._

It was later that afternoon and Mamoru had successfully stopped thinking about Usagi. He had been diagnosing and treating his patients appropriately and his mind even wandered to what book he should read next whenever he had more free time. He had stopped walking next to one of the vending machines and was looking at his next patient's file when he heard his name whispered from around the corner. "Mamoruuu!"

Mamoru's head slowly rose and looked around. _Who in the hell is whispering my name?_

Then he spied long strands of golden hair and his heart melted. She was wearing a plain cream shirt with fitting khaki pants. Her hair was wavy and loose and it was the way it fell around her that took his breath away. She was smiling. Remarkably so. And he couldn't get over the fact that she was smiling at him. Only at him.

He swallowed hard and managed to speak. "Usa?"

She nodded, looked around cautiously as if she could get in trouble for just being herself, and briskly walked over to him. She put her hands on Mamoru's clipboard and looked at him coyly. "Well, aren't you going to ask me?"

Mamoru, completely breath taken by her appearance at the hospital at all, was not able to think. He could only dumbly respond with, "ask you…?"

She pushed his shoulder playfully. "The internship, Chiba! I got it!"

Realization overwhelmed his face. _The internship._

"Usa! That's fantastic news!"

"Isn't it? I start tomorrow. I'm going to be on level 3. Is that somewhere you are normally?"

Mamoru's smile faded instantly. "Level 3? You can't change it?"

"Well I wasn't going to appear demanding with such a great opportunity. Why? What's wrong with level 3?"

"Well it's just that-"

"Nothing is wrong with level 3. That's my domain." Dr. Demande had just stepped off the elevator and rounded the corner looking for Dr. Chiba to find out more about this neighbor and to his delight, it seems she was right there.

He smiled charmingly at Usagi and put out his hand. "Dr. Demande. At your service."

Usagi couldn't help it, she blushed. She slowly put out her hand to meet his and shook it. "Tsukino, Usagi. I'm about to-"

"Intern here. Yes I heard." Demande's eyes on her were like a snake attempting to hypnotize its prey. Mamoru swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. Even the introduction between them was hard for him to allow.

"Usa?"

Usagi's eyes had been fixed on Demande's and were unable to break free. It was like they were being taunted and challenged to keep contact.

"Usa?"

Usagi closed her eyes and turned her head towards Mamoru. "Hmmm?"

"Why don't we go celebrate?"

Her eyes opened and met his and she immediately noted the difference she felt. Her body felt warm, almost drunk. And all she could feel and see inside his eyes were love and kindness. Inside Demande's eyes was something completely foreign to her.

"Sure. When do you get off?"

"I have one more patient and then I'm off. Can you wait for me in the lobby?"

Usagi nodded and was about to respond until Demande interrupted once more. "I'll keep her company." He smiled wolfishly and extended his arm out to escort her.

Usagi took it with hesitation and started to walk with Dr. Demande towards the lobby. She looked back over her shoulder at Mamoru and slightly confused at how forlorn he looked while watching them leave. She looked over at Dr. Demande and then back to him. _Is he worried for me? Jealous? Why can I never understand his intentions? Are we friends? Are we-?_

"So what are you celebrating?"

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she looked over to Dr. Demande. "What's that?"

"What are you celebrating?"

"The internship. Mamoru helped me set up the interview. He knows I have an interest in being a doctor."

"Ah. And you're going to be on level 3?" Usagi nodded. "Well that's my level. You're more than welcome to attach yourself to me." He leaned in closer towards her as they walked down the hall. "You'd learn a great deal."

Usagi looked at him warily and smirked. _Something tells me those words have a double meaning._

He opened the door to the lobby and motioned with his eyes. "After you."

Usagi released her hold on his arm and walked in front on him into the lobby. She spied individual seats and walked over to one. There was a love seat, but she figured that if she chose that, it'd be opening the doors to something that she knew she did not want. Once she sat down, she looked up at Dr. Demande and smiled sweetly. "I don't want to keep you from your work. I'll be fine until Mamoru comes down."

"I'd rather not leave a young woman such as yourself down here alone."

She looked at him quizzically. "I'm not alone. There are tons of people around."

Demande smirked knowingly. "You'd be surprised what can happen in crowds without anyone noticing."

Usagi gave him an incredulous look, completely unsure of what to say. _Ugh, Chiba. Where are you?_

Mamoru had never been so annoyed with a patient before. It was an older woman who seemed to have a laundry list of complaints that she saved up to tell the doctor about on her next visit. Most of them were normal issues that coincided with old age. Others he had to explain had to do with her diet and lack of exercise. He tried to be as understanding as possible, but couldn't get the idea of Demande and Usagi alone together out of his head. With any other person, he wouldn't be afraid of anything happening because they're in a public place, but with Demande, he knew better. He was as sly and as slick as an oil salesman and did not care if he was in a crowded amphitheater or his workplace. It was all the same to him and when he had a target, which in this case it was Usagi, he became incorrigible.

After what felt like hours, the old woman was finally out of questions and Mamoru could leave the rest of the paperwork with his nurse. He set all the files in the appropriate places and then hastily grabbed his belongings while speed-walking to the lobby.

 **Author's Note:** Sorry about the delay in updating. The hubby left for deployment and I've been attacked with allergies. I hope this chapter was worth it though. Usa and Mamoru's friendship seems to be growing! ;D


	6. The Gym

Mamoru slid into the lobby of the hospital and immediately made eye contact with a helpless Usagi. His demeanor relaxed and he almost laughed out loud at her open irritance at Demande. Her annoyed expression instantly vanished when she saw Mamoru coming towards her. He saw her squeeze past Demande on the lobby sofa and walk swiftly towards him. Her next words were spoken loudly as if to have Demande hear her, "So, lunch?"

She linked arms with Mamoru and almost rushed him out the front doors. Once outside she looked at him disgusted. "What is wrong with that guy?"

Mamoru laughed loudly. "Oh good, you're not interested in him?"

Usagi scoffed. "God, no." She looked behind them back at the hospital. "He…is definitely not my type."

Relieved that Demande had no chance with Usagi, Mamoru decided to poke fun at her. "You will want to stay amiable to him. You are working on his floor. He'll be the one you have to answer to."

Usagi groaned and pressed her forehead against Mamoru's shoulder. "I was so excited about this opportunity. It's a pity how quickly excitement can turn to dread."

Feeling sympathetic, Mamoru decided to change the subject. "Let's not worry about that now. Where to for lunch? I'll drive."

Usagi turned her head forward while still leaning against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. "You pick. I'm so starved I'll eat anything."

Mamoru smirked as he unlocked his car and opened the passenger door for Usagi and went around to the driver's seat amazed at how quickly he shifted from anxious to euphoric within a matter of minutes.

They chose a small café a few blocks from the hospital and were snacking on biscotti with their lattes waiting for their Paninis to come.

"So you're telling me that I'm stuck on that jerk's floor? Isn't there any way I can get transferred to yours?"

"I'm actually surprised you got his floor. I was the one that recommended you, but you should be thankful for the position."

Usagi groaned. "Ugh yes, I know I know. I should. Bad Usagi."

Mamoru smirked and broke off a piece of biscotti. "Yes, bad Usagi." And he threw it at her.

The piece of bread hit her on her nose and she laughed in response. She picked up the piece and studied it. "You know…I've been in your world and will stay there…but I'm a little interested in pulling you into my world." She ate the piece. "Just a little bit."

Mamoru raised his eyebrow. "Your world?"

"The waitress walked over with their food and placed it in front of them. Usagi picked up her sandwich and took a big bite.

Mamoru shook his head and smiled. "Alright, I'll bite. What does your world consist of?"

"Mmmmm. Chalk, iron, protein, preworkout…"

Mamoru took a sip of his latte. "Ahhhh. The gym."

Usagi nodded and eyed him curiously, waiting to see his reaction.

He looked up at her, saw her expression, and laughed nervously. "How long has it been since you've been?"

Usagi shrugged. "I took a month off for the move, but I think I could teach you a few things."

"Alright well I'm off for the rest of the day, how about we go after lunch?"

Usagi smiled widely. "You're on."

After lunch, Mamoru drove them both home to change. Usagi was overjoyed that she was going to have the opportunity to impress Mamoru. He had done so much already to impress her, she felt that she needed her chances too. As they both walked into their own homes, Usagi yelled out to Mamoru, "Take your time, we'll need to let the food digest. I'll meet you at your car in about an hour."

Mamoru shook his head as he entered his home. emWhat did I just agree to? Sure, Chiba, you're decently fit, but not a damn powerlifter! You're about to make a fool of yourself!/em He slammed his forehead against his living room wall as he desperately tried to think of any outcome to his situation that emwouldn't/em end in embarrassment.

He opened his eyes quickly and shook his head. "Nope. I'm screwed."

He went upstairs and searched for appropriate workout attire that would be efficient in whatever it was he was about to do with this crazy blonde. He pawed frantically through his drawers muttering to himself. "I must be nuts…I never put myself in these types of positions…this girl is going to be the death of me…"

All the possible negativity that one could acquire in going to the gym against their will, Mamoru had, yet he was eagerly doing so. Curious…isn't it, what we do for those we desire….

After 47 mins of pacing in his workout clothes, he finally saw Usagi step outside her front door through his side window. Finally.

He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. Usagi looked incredible. Her hair was in a high messy bun, had a racerback tank top on was black and in white letters said, "Training by Moonlight", wore black workout shorts that only went down mid-thigh, and had on light pink chucks. Her gym bag was slung over her right shoulder and she had two shaker cups in her hand. One pink, one black, both had a light blue liquid in them that she was shaking around while she walked up to him.

"Hey! You look like you're ready. Here." She handed him the black shaker bottle.

He looked at it curiously. She answered his puzzlement , "It's preworkout."

He nodded slowly. "Right…"

She giggled lightly, opened her pink shaker cup and started guzzling it.

Mamoru watched the blue liquid disappear from the bottle and smirked as Usagi grimaced and wiped her mouth afterwards.

"Your turn. Chug it."

Mamoru smiled a brief smile that revealed his perfect white teeth and shook his head in disbelief. "Here goes nothing…"

He opened the lid of the bottle and downed the liquid. He grimaced just as Usagi did afterwards and stuck his tongue out in response to the odd flavor of the drink. "Eugh, you drink this every day?"

Usagi laughed as she put her gym bag in the backseat. "It's worth it for the result. You'll see what I mean in about ten minutes. C'mon, let's go!" She slid into the passenger seat and closed the door.

"Wait, what do you mean 'I'll see'?" He got into the drivers side and started the car. She laughed loudly and smiled one of those smiles that he was always hypnotized by. "You'll see!"

Oh he saw alright. Within 20 minutes, every inch of his skin was tingling and itchy at the same time. But damn those who actually scratch. Mamoru scratched his temple next to his left eye and it was as if all his senses erupted in that area. It felt like the skin was moving underneath, trying to break out. Unfortunately for Mamoru, it hit him while he was stuck in traffic. "Ugh, how do you deal with this?!"

Usagi attempted to hide a smile, but wasn't accomplishing her task very well. "Just hit ya, huh?"

"Yes!" He ran his fingers through his hair. Big mistake. "Aaahhhh!" He ran his fingers through his hair a few more times to attempt to control the odd sensation. Usagi started to giggle uncontrollably.

"You poor thing...oh! There's the gym! Next left turn!"

They pulled in and Mamoru could not wait to get moving in some way, shape, or form. He got out of the drivers side swiftly and made a beeline for the entrance. Usagi went into a light jog to keep up so that they'd walk in together.

They both walked up to the front counter where they were met with an attractive brunette woman with a wide smile. She wore the gym's logo on her tshirt with a name tag that said "Mae". "Hi! How can I help you today?"

Mamoru went to open his mouth, but Usagi beat him to it. "Hey we're interested in joining a gym, but we're inbetween this one and the one downtown. Mae's demeanor changed slightly and she readjusted her smile as Usagi continued.

"We were wondering if we could get a day pass to see if your gym has what we're interested in."

Mamoru remained silent, but raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Mae smiled and nodded once Usagi finished her sentence and turned on her sales part of the job. "Absolutely! We can actually offer you a 3 day guest pass which includes access to the sauna, pool, and showers. Our hours are Mon - Fri 7am to 10pm and Sat - Sun 9am to 12am. If you'll just sign our guest log, I'll write up the guest passes for you and at the end of them, we'll see if you like what we have to offer."

Usagi looked over at Mamoru for confirmation on if that's what he was willing to do. Mamoru met her eyes with an agreeing shrug and Usagi then nodded and smiled. "Let's do it."

They received their guest passes and walked in. Mamoru was a little overwhelmed. There were so many pieces of equipment and machines. There weren't many people which he was thankful for. He followed Usagi as he continued looking around at this massive gym. 

Usagi threw down her gym bag inbetween a squat rack and deadlift platform. "We'll learn the basics here."

Mamoru gulped.

He watched Usagi set up weights on a barbell on the ground and on the rack. Once finished, she turned to him and started to instruct. "Ok, so with these, form is important. The amount of weight that you move will come in time, but if you start progressing with improper form, then that's when injuries happen. So I'm going to show you the basics of squatting and deadlifting and then I'll have you do them as well. Ok?"

Mamoru nodded and prepared himself to remember every detail she was about to tell him.

Usagi stepped up to the rack and placed her hands on the bar. "Ok, so make sure that when you walk up to the bar for squats, your grip is even. You're going to go underneath the bar, and place it on your traps. Not your neck, but your traps." Mamoru watched Usagi flex her back and was impressed at the muscles that laid beneath. She lifted the bar off the rack and stepped back a few steps.

"Now your footing should be comfortable and even. As you go down, you'll inhale, engage your core, and keep your chest up. When you come up, explode up with the heels of your feet and exhale."

She went down with the weight, her butt about 6 inches from the floor, came back up, and racked it.

"Questions?"

Mamoru felt his nerves rise and shook his head. "I think I can do it."

Usagi took off the weight. "I want you to do it with just the bar first to get a feel for it."

Mamoru nodded. He walked up to the rack like she had done, placed his hands on the bar evenly, went under to place it on his traps, and lifted it off the rack.

The feeling was odd...holding a long weighted bar across his back was definitely new. 

He stepped back a few steps, adjusted his feet, inhaled, and went down.

After a few reps, he racked it back and looked at Usagi for approval.

She nodded happily. "Oh I think you're going to do great at this...Now Deadlifts!" 

The two spent close to two hours in the gym, going back and forth from deadlifts and squats and talking. They weren't concerned about taking up the time on the equipment because there was no one in the gym. Mamoru had thought his impression of Usagi couldn't get any better, but he continued to be surprised. She was a great instructor for him in explaining specific grips and motions, especially with the deadlifts, and he couldn't get past how strong she was. If this was her after taking a month off, what was she like when she went daily?

Once they were finally finished and got to the car, Usagi pulled out two more shaker bottles with a white powder inside.

"He groaned. "Oh no...what's that?"

Usagi shook her head as she poured water from a water bottle into the cup. "It's just protein, Mamoru."

"She handed it to him. "Just drink it. You'll need to protein." She chuckled slightly. "You're going to be so sore tomorrow!"

He finished drinking the shake and looked at her suspiciously. "How sore?"


	7. Anne

Mamoru couldn't move without hurting. He heard his alarm going off and desperately wanted to have the ability to hit the button on the top of the clock to shut it off, but he couldn't. His shoulders, back, arms, and legs hurt. And his butt, ohhh, his butt was screaming. _How many muscles does that thing have?_ It was like every muscle in his body screamed at him when he tried to move – chastising him for pushing them past their limit. _She does this every day? Is she a masochist?_

He finally rolled over and clumsily smacked his alarm off.

 **6:13a**

He had inwardly struggled with his body for 13 minutes…

He knew he was going to regret it, but he stretched his limbs across his bed and lightly screamed in reaction. It felt amazing yet so painful at the same time. He relaxed his body for a minute or so and decided to stretch them again. It hurt again, but not as much as the first time.

 _Alright, Chiba. Be a man._

Mamoru took a deep breath and rolled up out of bed and stood on his weakened legs. _Gotta go to work…_

Usagi awoke a little before 7a to her phone going off. She rolled over while stretching and smiled as she felt the familiar soreness in her body. That smile turned into a giggle when she read a text from Mamoru 'What did you do to me?'

'Stretch and drink water – you'll be fine. See you at work!'

Mamoru's phone chime went off. A smile grew on his face when he saw Usagi's name on his phone, but it quickly faded when he snapped out of his grogginess and realized that Usagi was going to be starting her first day at the hospital today.

He sprinted to the bathroom and jumped in the shower.

2 hours into the work day, Usagi volunteered to run some files to Level 5, Mamoru's floor, in hopes of running into him. She had been politely avoiding Dr. Demande's advances all day and needed a friendly face. To her delight, he was standing there looking at his clipboard the minute the elevator doors opened. He had his concentrating face on, which she found to be so adorable. His brows would furrow creating a crease at the bridge of his nose. His eyes looked so intense and focused that she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. She slowly stepped out of the elevator, files in hand, and kept her eyes transfixed on Mamoru until he noticed the movement in his peripheral vision.

He looked up blankly and Usagi lightly blushed to see how quickly his face changed into a smile when he saw her.

"Usa! What brought you down here?"

Usagi lifted the files to his view. "Transfers. They said they needed to go to Level 5. I volunteered to take them."

"Ok I'll show you where to put them. How's your first day so far?"

Usagi huffed lightly. "It would be great if Dr. Demande would let off on the corny lines. He won't even let me do anything I could learn from. I tried to shadow a nurse while she took vitals, and he pulled me away, claiming that I was distracting the patient with my beauty. I mean c'mon…"

Mamoru chuckled lightly and Usagi shot him a glare. "This isn't funny Mamoru. I won't learn anything like this and this whole internship will be a waste!"

His face became serious. "I understand, Usa. Try to learn what you can. I know that Dr. Demande can be…well, the way he is, but he really is a brilliant doctor. You can learn a lot in this environment. Try to stay positive."

The overhead announcement rang – _Dr. Chiba, you're needed in the Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Chiba, the Intensive Care Unit._

"Hey, I gotta go. Files go here. I'll see you at lunch, ok?"

Mamoru turned around and jogged down the hall and around the left corner. Usagi watched him leave as she placed the files down in the basket. _I wish I was shadowing him instead of that idiot._

Usagi went to turn around and go back to the elevator when she was stopped by a brunette nurse with the nametag 'Jackie'. She had a wide smile and was casually blocking Usagi's way.

"I bet you're Dr. Chiba's reading."

Usagi's face scrunched up quizzically. "What's that now?"

Jackie laughed light heartedly and extended her right hand. "I'm Jackie, the head nurse on this level."

Usagi shook her hand. "I'm Usagi. I intern on Level 3 with Dr. Demande."

"Level 3, huh? What brought you here?"

Usagi got a little nervous. "I had to bring some files over."

"You were talking to Dr. Chiba though."

The nerves escalated. "Oh, uhh, yeah. He's my neighbor. We're good friends."

Jackie smiled wider. "Well I hope to see you around more often. It was nice meeting you, Usagi."

Usagi smiled timidly. "It was nice meeting you too, Jackie."

Jackie watched Usagi get back on the elevator. As the elevator doors closed, Jackie kept smiling to herself. _She seems sweet. It would do Dr. Chiba good to have someone like her in his life._

Jackie's thoughts were interrupted by the new nurse, Anne. "Who was that?" Anne's concern filled her facial features.

"A new intern, Usagi. Sweet, right?" Jackie kept looking in the direction Usagi left in, arms were crossed and her eyes were reflective.

Anne nodded dismissively. "Yeah, sure – she interning on this floor?"

"No, Level 3."

Anne scoffed lightly. "Well then why was she up here? Talking to Dr. Chiba?"

Jackie's eyebrows creased together as she looked at the flustered young nurse. "Why are you so concerned, Anne?"

Anne paused, and slowly went white, realizing she spoke out of turn for her workplace. "Uhh, no reason." She turned and started walking down the hall to start her rounds. _Only that I've had my eye on Chiba since I started here…_

Anne was a redhead – considered relatively attractive and soft spoken. She had green eyes and a clear complexion with a small frame. She had only been at the hospital for a few months since moving into Juuban. She moved hoping for a change, and she found one in Dr. Chiba. Although she kept the interaction light, Anne had a plan for her and Dr. Chiba. She rationalized that he was work driven and wouldn't like being targeted while in his work environment – so she went slowly. She felt that if she made herself a commonality – a part of routine, that he would see her as less of an inconvenience and be open to the possibility of them dating.

This Usagi, though, was getting right into the middle of it. Anne was only 3 months away from her first flirtatious comment, but here was this blonde perfect girl practically throwing herself at Dr. Chiba. And he looked like he enjoyed it! There was no way that Anne was going to give up this easily.

Usagi's slight flushness faded as she rode the elevator back down to level 3. And surprise, surprise, there was Dr. Demande waiting for her. Before she had the opportunity to step out of the elevator, he stepped in and pressed the button for the lobby. He eyed her with a look that made her particularly uncomfortable. One of his eyebrows lifted as he stared. "Lunch?"

Usagi's eyes widened slightly and she looked around the elevator as if to find some sort of distraction or idea to change the subject. "Oh…I – uhhh…"

Dr. Demande wasn't an idiot. He knew that Usagi had been deterring his advances. All day his attempts to get her to smile or flatter her fell flat. She wasn't like ordinary girls. She didn't blush at common comments of beauty or the classic lines that he had, no. She had a different interest. It had occurred to Dr. Demande that Usagi was actually there to learn – to take advantage of the internship. She had an actual interest in the medical field and he could use that, teach her what he knew. And then he'd have an in.

As Usagi was fumbling on how to answer, Dr. Demande put up his hand as if to interrupt. "Look", he sighed, "I get it, you're not interested." Usagi made eye contact with Dr. Demande for the first time all day.

Demande continued. "So I've decided to let it go, I actually have something I'd like to teach you. You wanted to learn about checking vitals earlier?"

Usagi nodded.

"I can help you get started with that."

"Really?"

Demande nodded.

The elevator reached the lobby and hesitated before the doors opened. Usagi eyed Dr. Demande cautiously, "No….expectations in return?"

Dr. Demande smiled earnestly, so much so it almost weakened Usagi's knees.

Usagi kept eye contact as Demande held the smile. _Mamoru did say that Dr. Demande was a brilliant doctor and to stay positive…after all, what's going to happen in the cafeteria of the hospital? It can be perfectly harmless._

As she read his eyes, she believed him more and more and with that, her lips formed into a smile. "Okay then, let's get started! I'd love to learn from you!"

Anne saw Dr. Chiba in the corner of her eye as she made her rounds. _Should I speed up my process? I've been waiting for the right moment… but what if that blonde has already wrecked any chance I have with Dr. Chiba? Maybe I should just let her have him, give up before I get too invested._

Mamoru stopped to read the chart before entering a room. He readjusted his reading glasses and mumbled to himself while his jet black hair fell slightly into his eyes.

 _Ughhh, he's just so cuteee!_ Anne shook her head at herself. _Don't give up. That's ridiculous. What could she have more in common with him than you? You're both in the medical field, work in a hospital – the same hospital, and would be perfect together, I'm sure of it!_ Anne nodded to herself. _Then it's decided…I'll start today._

Anne walked up to Mamoru as he finished up the chart. "Good afternoon, Dr. Chiba. Would you like help with this patient? I'm finished with my rounds."

Mamoru looked up at Anne as she spoke. "Oh, hi Anne. Sure. Go ahead and read over the chart and start with the vitals. I have to go put this file back at Jackie's station. I'll be in in a moment."

Anne beamed at Mamoru's knowledge of her name. She nodded eagerly as she took the chart from Dr. Chiba and paused before the door as she read it.

 _Hmmm. 22 y/o female with tachycardia, check up after the cardiac ablation procedure. Was given atenolol to take once a day and slowly wean off of. Easy enough._

Anne opened the door with a smile, "Hi, how're you today?"

Usagi and Dr. Demande had their plates filled and Usagi was hanging on every word of Dr. Demande's. They were the first few in the cafeteria, so the room echoed Demande's voice and to Usagi it was the perfect environment to learn.

Mamoru had finally made his way down to the cafeteria after his last patient of the morning and was speaking with Anne, a nurse with whom he was very impressed with today. She was efficient and understanding to the young woman they just saw and he was surprised that he hadn't noticed her dedication to her work earlier. The two were in the middle of discussing their workload when he caught sight of Usagi and Dr. Demande. The sight almost took the breath out of his lungs. Demande was talking enthusiastically – using his hands and vibrant facial expressions, and Usagi was perplexed. She was looking at Demande…like…well how she looked at him. And for the first time, Mamoru felt the twinge of jealousy pull at his heart and drop to his stomach.

Anne noticed a change to his features. "Dr. Chiba, are you alright?"

Mamoru faintly heard Anne's concerned question and he gave a delayed response by slowly nodding his head. "Uh, yeah, hey Anne, could you grab me a plate too and I'll get us seats?"

 _Lunch with Dr. Chiba? Yes!_

"Oh, of course! I'll come find you." Anne walked away inwardly beaming and was determined to get the best plate of food for him she could manage. _Finally. I'll get him all to myself._

Mamoru attempted to contain his composure as he walked up to Usagi's table. He could hear his heart beating through his ears and he had trouble controlling his breath which has sudden turned shaky. _What do I say to her? How do I start the conversation? Is she interested in him now? Where does that leave us? Am I intruding?_ He finally made it over to the table and was slightly hurt that Usagi didn't immediately notice him. It took Dr. Demande to stop talking and look up at him for her to even notice there were other people around, let alone himself.

After Anne had filled both their plates, she squinted her eyes to focus while looking around the room. But what she spotted was not what she expected. Mamoru was standing, not sitting, and was looking at Usagi…and is that Dr. Demande? _What the hell? Are we sitting there?_


	8. Lunch

Mamoru had been struggling on what to say. Both Dr. Demande and Usagi were looking at him expectantly. As they should...he just walked up and fully interrupted their conversation. If his place had been switched with Dr. Demande, he would have looked at him like he was an idiot. Which was exactly how Dr. Demande was looking at him. Mamoru had just began to stutter and feel completely retarded until Dr. Demande smirked and realized what was going on.

"Would you care to join us, Dr. Chiba?"

Dr. Demande knew that Chiba had some sort of feelings for Usagi. He didn't know how serious they were, but how fun would it be to investigate?

Mamoru nodded. "Yes, I apologize. I did not mean to interrupt your conversation." Mamoru took a seat next to Usagi and silently wallowed in his own shame. _Great going, Chiba. What kind of an entrance was that?_

Usagi looked at Mamoru worriedly. Like he was missing something. _Why is she looking at me like that? Is my hair fucked up? Do I have something on my face?_ He studied her face for an answer - some indication as to why she was staring at him that way.

Demande took another bite of his food and looked at him amusingly until Usagi finally spoke up, "Are you going to get anything to eat?"

A wave of relief overcame Mamoru. _Ohhhhh...the food._

"Yes, *ahem*, a nurse of mine offered to get me my plate while I found us seats. Here she comes now. Anne!"

Usagi's eyes followed Mamoru's direction of speaking and her stomach dropped. This Anne was walking up to their table so casually, yet so gracefully. She had a tray with two filled plates in her hands, assumingly one for her and one for Mamoru. But that wasn't the startling part. She was beautiful. Exceedlingly so. She had bright red hair, like fire, but skin like snow. She had piercing green eyes and a small delicate frame. Usagi didn't see any muscle definition on her, but knew that most men preferred women without muscles in the first place. Usagi had prided herself on not giving a shit about what people think. Her powerlifting coach always told her that people who felt that women should not have muscle definition weren't worth her time. But in this instance, it was a threat. Because not only was she everything Usagi was not, she walked up to the table while only looking at one person - Mamoru.

Anne set the tray down and took a seat next to Dr. Demande but across from Mamoru. Usagi felt her eye narrow, but had to correct them almost immediately. She didn't want to create enemies on her first day. Usagi straightened in her seat and cleared the food from her throat before putting out a hand. "Hi, I'm Usagi."

Anne gracefully gave Usagi her hand and responded quietly. "I'm Anne. Very nice to meet you."

Mamoru chimed in, a little embarrassed he didn't begin with introductions. "And of course, you know Dr. Demande. Anne looked at the Doctor next to her and smiled lightly. "Yes, of course. How are you doctor?"

Dr. Demande passively looked at Anne and nodded politely. "I'm well, thank you for asking."

Dr. Demande was slightly annoyed. Besides Usagi, Anne was the only other woman at the hospital that ignored his advances. He couldn't understand why he never succeeded with her, but something tells him that he's about to find out.

Anne self consciously fixed her hair and leaned towards Mamoru. "I hope you like what I picked out for you, Dr. Chiba." Instinctively, everyone at the table looked at Mamoru's plate to examine the ingredients. There was a small side salad, chicken, macaroni and cheese and a brownie.

Mamoru was just about to thank Anne for her selection when a foreign fork kidnapped a food item from his plate.

Usagi giggled as she grabbed a piece of chicken with her fork, and put it in her mouth before Mamoru could react. He looked at her playfully. "After what you did to me yesterday, I need all the protein I can get."

Usagi laughed a belly laugh that made Mamoru smile. She swallowed quickly. "Oh my gosh, how inconsiderate of me." She raised her right hand. "I pledge from this moment on never to steal another source of protein from Dr. Mamoru Chiba." She continued giggling as she drank some of her water.

Dr. Demande and Anne sat with their mouths open at the sight in front of them. Anne spoke up. "After what she did to you?" She looked at Usagi with a derisive laugh. "What did you do to him?"

Usagi pretended to ignore Anne's attempt to be condescending. She bit into a carrot and looked at Anne blankly. "I took him to the gym."

Demande's eyebrows raised. "Oh, the gym eh, Chiba? Couldn't keep up with Miss Usagi?"

Mamoru finished chewing and swallowed. "Hey don't be quick to think that a gym session with this woman is an easy task. She's a trained powerlifter."

Usagi smiled widely at the recognition.

Dr. Demande's curiosity peaked. "A powerlifter, huh?"

Anne shrugged as she took another mouthful of salad. "I could never really get into that type of working out. Just the treadmill to take off the extra unnecessary calories."

Anne eyed Usagi like a poker player, looking for any sign of weakness and the opportunity to raise.

Usagi nodded as she ate the last forkful of veggies on her plate. "It does take a certain type of dedication. It took me years to get to where I am now."

"To where you are now? What does that mean?" Demande placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward towards Usagi.

"Well...before I could hardly squat anything. Maybe the barbell and a few 10 pound plates and my deadlifts were pitiful. Now, I can squat 225 pounds as a warm up and my deadlifts are nearing 305 pounds."

"Jesus. That is not what I was expecting," Demande said with a chuckle.

Mamoru looked at Usagi with wide eyes. "You never told me that you could lift that much!"

Usagi looked at him and shrugged. "Surprise?"

Annoyed at the attention Usagi was getting, Anne saw an opening and went for it.

"But doesn't it make clothes harder to fit? Having all of the bulkiness from muscle mass? I mean, they don't necessarily make women's clothing for that type of...build."

Mamoru was about to speak up, wanting to state how she looked incredible in shorts and a tank top but paused. That may have been a bit inappropriate. He wanted to say something in her defense. But what? Before he could say anything, Usagi was gathering her trash onto her tray and took a deep sigh.

"Yeah, sometimes it is hard to find a cute top that fits my shoulders comfortably, or a jacket that isn't tight around my back when I bend down to pick something up, or even skirts that are loose around my waist but tight around my hips and thighs..."

Anne started to smirk and leaned back against the back of her chair comfortably.

Usagi looked Anne dead in the eyes and continued, "...but damn do I look good naked."

Usagi smiled from ear to ear at Anne's shocked expression. She looked at both doctors who had both surprise and intrigue on their faces. Usagi wanted to blush and honestly wouldn't have normally said something so abrasive, but she knew it would shut Anne up. _What's the harm in having one enemy on your first day?_

"I'll see you guys later."

Usagi started her walk out of the cafeteria and felt the eyes of the table on her. She couldn't look back. But she did overhear quick rustling and someone get up from the table. She hoped with every fiber of her being that it was Mamoru. She wouldn't look back.

As she was throwing her trash away, she heard Dr. Demande behind her call out, "Wait up, Usagi." Disappointment overcame her. He threw his trash away and caught up to her as she walked back to the elevator. "So...vitals."

Usagi forced a smile to appease her boss. Distracted by her let down, she completely forgot her previous declaration. She looked back at Mamoru. He was watching her walk away. She studied his strong features, his messy jet black hair, and his deep ocean eyes that were so hard to read at times like this. Her eyes shifted to an upset Anne who looked at Usagi like her worst enemy. _That'll be interesting._ Anne started to try to get Mamoru's attention and Usagi's eyes went back to Mamoru. His gaze hadn't left hers and it felt like her walking away with Demande was almost in slow motion. _What is he thinking? What is Anne to him? What am I?_

The ding from the elevator pulled Usagi back to what was in front of her. She looked up at Dr. Demande as he motioned for her to walk in first. "Shall we?"

She smiled politely and stepped in, all the while thinking of one thing. _Mamoru._

Author's Note: Apologies on being away for so long! I am back into writing my FanFic and my current stories will start seeing updates. Thank you to all of those who have stuck by me and checked in on me, wondering when I was going to update. Happy reading!


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